Tuesday night the baseball world mourns the loss of Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. At the time of his passing he was the oldest living Hall of Fame member. For those of you who never met Bob, you’ll never know what kind of man he was. One of the nicest former players you will ever meet.
I still remember when I met Mr. Feller. It was 2002 when I went to a Lakewood Blue Claws game and he was supposed to sign autographs for 2 hours. The game was packed, mainly from the Feller signing and a long line formed behind home plate. My dad and I got in line about 30 minutes before the game started. Mr. Feller through out the first pitch and then started signing immediately following the National Anthem.
It was real cold from what I remember, the darker it got, the colder it got. 2 hours into the signing, Mr. Feller saw the length of the line left and said that he would sign until everyone who came for his autograph got it. The game ended and my dad and I are still in line, waiting to meet this living legend, we would be waiting another 2 hours.
It wasn’t because there were hundreds of people in line, although there were a lot, it was because Mr. Feller took time to talk and take photos with every fan, right up until the end. When My dad and I got to the front of the line, we shook Mr. Feller’s hand, got a couple of autographs and talked baseball with the old-timer.
He may have been 84 years old at the time, but he remembered everything from his playing days. All in all he spent nearly 7 hours signing autographs. Then afterwards even did a Q and A session with fans. I have to say it was one of my best baseball experiences. I am not alone in this though, I have heard countless stories saying the same thing. It’s just the kind of person he was.
Today’s players could take a note or two from guys like Bob Feller. This week we lost an icon, a great pitcher, a great baseball ambassador, and a really nice person. I only met Mr. Feller once, but I will never forget the experience. Rest in peace Bob.
